EP0784965A2 - Mobile device for use in dental applications for registering and transmitting data - Google Patents

Abstract

The mobile dental device receives and transmits data from a central patient data administration unit. The dental appts. includes an LCD display, various memories, a programmable operating region, and an interface for communicating with the diagnosis or therapy device. Power is supplied by batteries. The diagnosis and/or therapy device is mechanically and electrically coupled to the dental appts. The device can be adapted to a dental X-ray appts. for generating intraoral X-ray images using a radiation-sensitive sensor. The quality of the generated images can be monitored on the display.

Description

The invention relates to a mobile device that can be used in dental practice for recording and transmitting data from a central patient data management file into a dental diagnosis and / or therapy device and vice versa.

Mobile devices for recording and transmitting patient-specific data in a central patient data management file and vice versa are known.

DE-9 018 058 U1, for example, describes a system for storing, providing and updating fixed and / or variable patient and treatment data, in which a stationary computer central unit with a storage unit is provided, in which patient data in the form of a patient file is provided of data records can be saved. In order to be able to enter patient-specific data more easily with the aid of magnetic strips and / or chip cards, the computer central unit is assigned a mobile unit which contains a data interface which is compatible with the data interface of the computer central unit. The mobile unit also contains a sub-storage unit controlled by a processor unit for storing patient-specific data and at least one reading unit for the magnetic stripe and / or which is assigned to the sub-storage Smart card. It also has two outputs. One is used to display stored and / or entered patient-specific data, the other is used to be able to transmit the data from the mobile unit to the computer central unit.

With this system, data stored on a health insurance card can be easily stored in the mobile unit and then, in practice, read into the stationary computer central unit via the data interface. The practical benefit lies essentially in the fact that, for example, findings determined during home visits can be documented on site and then in practice can be transferred to the stationary computer central unit.

In addition to an administration system, a dental practice usually includes a large number of diagnostic and / or therapeutic devices which have to perform different functions. As is known, dental treatments, in particular dental preparations, are carried out at the actual treatment place (patient chair with treatment unit). Diagnostic work is partly carried out with the help of (intraoral or panoramic) X-ray devices. Prosthetics and prophylaxis work are sometimes carried out using equipment that is stationed outside the treatment center.

The practitioner usually needs the information, which is sometimes decentrally generated, centrally at the treatment place or at the place where he is looking for a conversation with the patient and then wants to carry out the diagnosis or therapy. This So far, need can only be met by linking the above-mentioned devices to one another through commercially available networks.

The invention specified in claim 1 is based on the object of achieving an improvement. In particular, a more cost-effective, a relatively complex, network connection-avoiding and at the same time more flexible solution is to be created, with which it is possible to use the diagnostic and / or therapeutic devices available in practice, taking into account the patient-specific or the diagnosis or setting data collected during treatment to be easier to use.

The invention is based on the knowledge that the data used for diagnosis, therapy or administration are always collected or generated in connection with the patient. According to the invention, this data is always available where it is needed.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the device according to the invention includes an LCD display, various memories, a programmable control panel, an interface for communication with the relevant diagnostic or therapy device to which it can be adapted, the necessary control electronics and one or more, preferably rechargeable Batteries for energy supply.

According to a further advantageous embodiment, the device according to the invention can be equipped with a microphone and / or with means be equipped for wireless data transmission. The device can also be combined with a device in the form of an electronic pen which enables the input of handwritten notes or the selection of elements from standardized input masks.

With the aid of a suitable interface, the device according to the invention can be coupled to any dental device used for diagnosis and / or therapy. It is thus possible for a dental device to use the control panel and the display of the mobile data transmission device. With the help of a transmission protocol, corresponding input masks can be transmitted from the respective dental device after a connection has been established.

In addition, the mobile device can advantageously be used for playing music or video films that were previously fed into the device in digitized form via the patient management system. Furthermore, it can advantageously be used as an operating unit for computer games, the corresponding programs also being transferred from the patient management system.

An exemplary embodiment of the device according to the invention and its possibilities in connection with various dental devices are described in more detail below.

1 shows a diagram of an embodiment of the mobile device according to the invention. The device, generally designated 1, contains a lower housing section 1a with various operating elements 2 and an upper housing section 1b with a display 3. The lower housing section 1a is dimensioned such that it can be gripped by the hand of an operator. The display 3 is preferably an LCD display.

On one narrow side of the lower housing section 1a there are mechanical and electrical adaptation means 4, 5 for coupling to a dental device. The adaption means 4, 5 can be designed as adaption means arranged separately from one another or also as a combined adapter unit. On the right side of the housing section 1a, two connection sockets 6, 7 are provided, to which on the one hand a microphone 8 and on the other hand an electronic stylus 9 can be connected, as can be seen from the block diagram according to FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, it can be seen that the central element for the processing and control of incoming and outgoing data is a microcontroller 10, which is connected to an interface 11 and a memory 12. The interface 11 is designed in such a way that it can communicate with the dental device in question, to which the device 1 for receiving and transmitting data can be adapted. As already mentioned, the mechanical and electrical connection takes place via the contact strip 5.

FIG. 3 shows a diagram of the device 1 shown in FIG. 1, coupled to a dental device for dental treatment, in particular for tooth preparation, one Patient. Through the interactive link via the interface 11 to the electronics of the dental device 13, the LCD display 3 can also be used to display various data of the dental device, for example to display certain operating parameters or diagnostic results. For example, the display 3 can be used to display the speed of the dental instruments 14, which are not explained in more detail here. FIG. 4 shows an arrangement in which the device according to the invention is coupled to an x-ray device for taking intraoral x-rays.

The control electronics can be designed so that when the device according to the invention is connected to the X-ray device, a control program for controlling the control panel 2 of the device is transmitted by the X-ray device. The mobile device in connection with the dental X-ray device, the associated control unit and an existing electronic sensor (15) practically result in a complete X-ray device, the mobile device being used to control and display the incoming and outgoing data. The x-ray exposure can thus advantageously be triggered from the mobile device, the x-ray device transmitting the result image to the computer 10 contained in the mobile device via the interface 11. It can also be advantageous to dock the mobile device to the remote control device of an X-ray device. The display 3 can also be used to check the recording quality of an X-ray image.

Further applications are conceivable in connection with a panorama X-ray device or an imaging system. The control panel The mobile device can also be used, for example, to switch camera lighting on and off or to trigger video recordings. The commands are also output via the interface 11 here.

Other possible applications are measuring systems with which, for example, properties of the chewing system of a patient, or with which bacterial chemical or electrical properties, which must be determined for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes, can be determined. The mobile device serves as a control and display device and can be used as a data carrier.

Another possible application is in connection with dental devices for the production of fitting bodies made of industrial ceramics or other materials that can be ground or milled.

The interface 11, which is provided between the device according to the invention and one of the aforementioned dental devices to which it can be coupled, can, as already mentioned, also be implemented wirelessly. In this case, the mobile device has a selection menu via which the user can determine which device the portable unit is to connect to. This menu can already be transmitted together with the relevant treatment data from the practice management system. The wireless connection can either take place via a central switching station; the connection can also be established directly.

The central switch would have the task, if several devices are used, to keep track of which of the devices mentioned are currently in use. As soon as it is determined that one of the mobile stations wants to connect to an already occupied device, it would notify the mobile unit of this.

When connecting directly, the mobile devices have at least two transmission modes. The basic mode is used to establish a connection and exchange features such as memory size, image format or the like. This mode is common to all systems. On the basis of the information exchanged in the basic mode, the dental device decides whether a connection can be established and which transmission method is used. This information is transmitted to the mobile station. Then both transmitters and receivers switch to the agreed working mode and lock the basic mode so that no other mobile station can establish a connection to this dental device. After this transfer has ended, both devices return to basic mode. This can be done by sending an appropriate command from the protocol belonging to the interface. The command can only be given by the station that is currently transmitting. The interface can hold common operating voltages, such as + 5V or + 12V voltages. The operating voltages are used to charge a battery preferably arranged in the mobile device and to operate additional devices, such as video imaging, which could be integrated in the mobile device.

When communicating between one of the dental devices mentioned and the mobile device, both digital and analog information are originally generated. If the communication between the dental devices and the mobile device is realized by means of a plug connection, the interface contains additional channels via which digital information, preferably in parallel form, is transmitted. The transmission is advantageously characterized in that the actual information is used to transmit signals which determine when a transmitted date is valid. The analog data are preferably digitized by the dental device and then transmitted accordingly. The interface can also provide channels with which analog information can be transmitted. This can be done in connection with signals that determine when a transmitted date is valid. If a wireless form of transmission is selected, this information can be imprinted on the selected medium.

A transmission protocol is defined for the interface in the device according to the invention. This protocol consists of one or more commands, the data to be transmitted and an acknowledgment signal. The commands can be sent or received. The response of the device to certain commands can be impressed on the dental device from the practice management system.

With the help of the commands, the mobile device can be put into a basic state; Among other things, it can register and deregister with the dental device, transmit its characteristics, establish a connection, transfer codes or files.

Furthermore, the commands can be used to prompt the mobile device to install or activate control information and to input or output data.

5 and a flowchart shown in FIG. 6 show various possibilities of how the device according to the invention can be used.

FIG. 5 shows, in a schematic form, a dental practice with five rooms R1 to R5. A central computer ZR is installed in reception room R1. The actual treatment place with a treatment device G1 is located in room 2, for example as shown in FIG. 3. In room R3 there is an X-ray device G2 for taking panoramic X-ray pictures. The room R4 contains, for example, the X-ray device G3 already shown in FIG. 4, with which intra-oral X-ray recordings can be made. In room R5 there is a device G4 for creating prosthetic fittings.

As soon as a patient registers in the practice at the reception, that is to say externally to the treatment place, an electronic device of the type described at the beginning (FIG. 1) is handed over to him. The special patient data is previously entered into this mobile device from the central patient management file of the central computer ZR in room 1. For this purpose, the device is coupled to the central computer (ZR) in the aforementioned manner. The relevant data, which are necessary for the planned treatment or for the treatment process, are entered with the aid of the input means provided (operating elements 2) and stored in the memory 10 of the mobile device.

In particular, treatment plans, therapy suggestions, image data and measurement results, but also parameters for controlling the workplace or individual instruments at the workplace, can be considered as data. The information entered is stored in a standardized manner and, after coupling to the dental device, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, is transferred to the dental device in question. As already mentioned, this is done via the interface 10 and the adapter 5.

With this data read into the memory of the mobile device, various diagnoses and therapies can then be carried out on the various devices G1 to G4.

Audio and / or video programs can also be imported into the mobile device from the central computer ZR (or another suitable memory). The patient can play these imported programs before and / or during treatment or even during treatment breaks. The treatment and possible waiting times can be made more entertaining for the patient. The programs can preferably be music programs or, when treating children, video game programs.

As can be seen from the flow chart according to FIG. 6, further examination devices G5 and G6 can be used, for example imaging systems or measurement value acquisition systems which collect data for prophylaxis, diagnosis or therapy via appropriate sensors. The device G6 can, for example, be a video system with which video images can be created. The device G5 can be a measuring system with which certain prophylaxis data (for example on the chewing behavior of the patient) can be recorded and transferred to the central patient administration.

At the end of the treatment, all data newly generated during the treatment are transferred back from the mobile device to the practice management system. Any voice entries that are input via the microphone 8 are then translated into a textual representation. The treatment plan for the patient is thus updated and is prepared for the next treatment appointment.

In the arrangement shown in the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3, a connection to the central computer in the working device 13 (G1) is established via the electrical plug connection with the aid of the adapter 5. The recording is advantageously initiated by the mobile device. For this purpose, the version of the communication protocol is used which is supported by all dental devices that are suitable in a treatment practice. When setting up this communication link, the mobile device announces in a standardized form, on request or directly, features of the device, such as memory size, image formats or transmission features. On the basis of these features, the initiated device, device 13 in the exemplary embodiment, must decide whether a connection can be established. The result of this decision is communicated to the calling device via the communication link. When communication is established, the transmission characteristics with which the connection is established are agreed at the same time. This can be fed back to the user, for example, via the display 13. The practice management system has structured the information recorded in the mobile device using a standardized table of contents. This table of contents can be transferred to the treatment device upon initiation. The data can be read out completely or successively and shown on a display, alternatively the display 3 of the mobile device or a separate display assigned to the dental device can be used to display the information. On the basis of the stored data, the setting values which are favorable for the planned treatment, for example operating parameters for instruments or patient positioning positions, can then be prepared after the initiation.

With the help of the input pen 9, handwritten notes, e.g. Findings, planned therapies or treatments performed can be entered. The same applies to the microphone 8, which is equipped with an appropriately trained speech recognition and / or recording system. It is conceivable to define an artificial language with a specific vocabulary that is tailored to the needs of the dentist.

If the treatment on one dental device is interrupted and in the meantime a diagnosis has to be continued on another dental device, for example an X-ray must be taken, the mobile electronic device is removed from the dental device 13 and to the other device on which the diagnosis is carried out should be adapted accordingly.

When the treatment is finished, the mobile device is handed over to the reception. There, the device is in turn connected to the central patient management system (ZR) via the interface. All newly created data are read out and transferred to the electronic management system.

Claims (12)

Mobile device that can be used in dental practice for recording and transmitting data from a central patient data management file (ZR) into a dental diagnosis and / or therapy device (G1 to G6) and vice versa, containing a control panel (2) with means for entering data , electronics (10, 12) for processing and storing incoming data and an interface (11) for communication with the diagnostic and / or therapy device (G1 to G6) to which the data are to be transmitted and a display (3), wherein the electronics comprise a microcontroller (10) and an interface (11) which are designed so that when connected to the diagnostic and / or therapeutic device (G1 to G6) whose control program is adopted, so that control of the diagnostic and / or therapy device (G1 to G6) via the control panel (2) and the control data is shown on the display (3) of the data transmission device (1). Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising means for recording and playing back audio and / or video programs. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising means for adaptation to a dental X-ray device (G3) for taking intraoral X-rays with the aid of a radiation-sensitive sensor (15), the display (3) being used to check the recording quality of the images produced by the image signals being transmitted via the interface (11) and the microcontroller (10) are routed. Device according to claim 1, comprising a control program with a selection menu for one of a plurality of diagnosis and / or therapy devices (G1 to G6) to be selected. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, designed as a portable handheld device (Figure 1). Device according to Claim 1, comprising an input for the connection of a microphone (8) for data input. Apparatus according to claim 1, including an input for the connection of an electronic pen (9) for data input. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an integrated power supply. Device according to claim 1, comprising means for wireless data transmission. Device according to Claim 1, comprising means (4, 5) for adaptation to a remote control device for an X-ray device (G2, G3). Device according to claim 1, comprising means for speech input and speech recognition with translation of the speech into a control and / or text mode. Apparatus according to claim 11, including means for inputting the data in an artificial language.

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